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Investigating Weathering of Basaltic Materials in Gale Crater, Mars: A Combined Laboratory, Modeling and Terrestrial Field Approach

Recent observations from Gale Crater, Mars document past aqueous alteration both in the formation of the Stimson sandstone unit, as well as in the formation of altered fractures within that unit. Geochemical and mineralogical data from Curiosity also suggest Fe-rich amorphous weathering products are present in most samples measured to date. Here we interpret conditions of possible past weathering in Gale Crater using a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling work. In order to better understand secondary Fe-rich phases on Mars, we are examining formation of weathering products in high Fe and Mg and low Al serpentine soils in the Klamath Mountains, CA. We have isolated potential weathering products from these soils, and are analyzing them using synchrotron μXRF and μXRD as well as FullPat for a direct comparison to analyses from Gale Crater. In order to interpret the implications of the persistence of potential secondary Fe-containing phases on Mars, we are also measuring the dissolution rates of the secondary weathering products allophane, Fe-rich allophane, and hisingerite. Ongoing dissolution experiments of these materials suggest that they dissolve significantly more rapidly than more crystalline secondary minerals with similar chemical compositions. Finally, to quantify the specific conditions of past aqueous alteration in Gale Crater we are performing reactive transport modeling of a range of possible past environmental conditions. Specifically, we are testing the conditions under which a Stimson unit-like material forms from a parent material similar to Rocknest or Bagnold eolian deposits, and the conditions under which observed altered fracture zones form from a Stimson unit-like parent material. Our modeling results indicate that the formation of the Stimson unit is consistent with leaching of an eolian deposit with a solution of pH = 6-8, and that formation of the altered fracture zones is consistent with leaching with a very acidic (pH = 2-3) high sulfate solution containing Ca. These results suggest circumneutral pH conditions during authigenesis or early diagenesis in the Stimson formation sediments followed by diagenetic alteration by very acidic solutions along fracture zones.

Hausrath, Elisabeth↗

Gale Crater and Impact Processes - Curiosity's First 364 Sols on Mars

Impact processes at all scales have been involved in the formation and subsequent evolution of Gale crater. Small impact craters in the vicinity of the Curiosity MSL landing site and rover traverse during the 364 Sols after landing have been studied both from orbit and the surface. Evidence for the effect of impacts on basement outcrops may include loose blocks of sandstone and conglomerate, and disrupted (fractured) sedimentary layers, which are not obviously displaced by erosion. Impact ejecta blankets are likely to be present, but in the absence of distinct glass or impact melt phases are difficult to distinguish from sedimentary/volcaniclastic breccia and conglomerate deposits. The occurrence of individual blocks with diverse petrological characteristics, including igneous textures, have been identified across the surface of Bradbury Rise, and some of these blocks may represent distal ejecta from larger craters in the vicinity of Gale. Distal ejecta may also occur in the form of impact spherules identified in the sediments and drift material. Possible examples of impactites in the form of shatter cones, shocked rocks, and ropy textured fragments of materials that may have been molten have been observed, but cannot be uniquely confirmed. Modification by aeolian processes of craters smaller than 40 m in diameter observed in this study, are indicated by erosion of crater rims, and infill of craters with aeolian and airfall dust deposits. Estimates for resurfacing suggest that craters less than 15 m in diameter may represent steady state between production and destruction. The smallest candidate impact crater observed is ∼0.6 m in diameter. The observed crater record and other data are consistent with a resurfacing rate of the order of 10 mm/Myr; considerably greater than the rate from impact cratering alone, but remarkably lower than terrestrial erosion rates.

Curiosity↗

The Mineralogical Record of Ancient Fluvio-Lacustrine Environments in Gale Crater as Measured by the MSL CheMin Instrument

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to investigate early Hesperian-aged sedimentary rocks on the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (i.e., Mount Sharp) that show variations in phyllosilicates, hematite, and sulfates from orbital reflectance spectroscopy, suggesting changes in ancient aqueous environments. During the Eighth International Conference on Mars in July 2014, Curiosity was still traversing the Bradbury group on the plains of Gale crater (Aeolis Palus) and had only analyzed four samples in its internal laboratories. Soon after Mars 8, Curiosity began its investigation of Mount Sharp and has since driven through ~350 m of vertical stratigraphy, the majority of which is part of the Murray formation. The Murray fm is comprised primarily of laminated mudstone with occasional sandstone and heterolithic facies and represents a long-lived fluvio-lacustrine environment. Curiosity has analyzed 13 drilled rock samples from the Murray formation and 4 from the ancient eolian Stimson fm with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument. Here, we discuss the mineralogy of all fluvio-lacustrine samples analyzed to date and what these results tell us about sources of the sediments, aqueous environments, and habitability of ancient Gale crater.

Rampe, E. B.↗

The Stratigraphy of Central and Western Butte and the Greenheugh Pediment Contact

The Greenheugh pediment at the base of Aeolis Mons (Mt. Sharp), which may truncate units in the Murray formation and is capped by a thin sandstone unit, appears to represent a major shift in climate history within Gale crater. The pediment appears to be an erosional remnant of potentially a much more extensive feature. Curiosity’s traverse through the southern extent of Glen Torridon (south of Vera Rubin ridge) has brought the rover in contact with several new stratigraphic units that lie beneath the pediment. These strata were visited at two outcrop-forming buttes (Central and Western butte- both remnants of the retreating pediment) south of an orbitally defined boundary marking the transition from the Fractured Clay-bearing Unit (fCU) and the fractured Intermediate Unit (fIU). Here we present preliminary interpretations of the stratigraphy within Central and Western buttes and propose the Western butte cap rocks do not match the pediment capping unit.

Bryk, A. B.↗

Investigation of Magmatic Activities on Early Mars Using Igneous Mineral Chemistry in Gale Crater, Mars

One objective of rover missions is exploring the geological context of the surroundings. Over the years, igneous petrology and sedimentology have been disconnected, the first investigating magmatic processes and volcanic activities, and the second seeking environmental conditions in the past and assessing the habitability of the planet. Although different, one is related to the other: igneous rocks are altered and broken down, leading to the formation of sedimentary rocks, which can in turn be used to back out the nature of their magmatic source. The Curiosity rover that landed in the 3.7 Gyr old impact crater Gale is traveling through sedimentary rocks. About fifty float rocks have been observed, and several of them with ambiguous texture and composition have been classified as igneous or sedimentary depending on studies such as Jake_M. The composition of several unambiguous igneous rocks has been analyzed [4- 6] but their heterogeneity at a larger instrumental (measurement size < 2 cm) scale prevents the measurement of a bulk composition as performed on Earth. An original approach avoiding these two last issues is to consider igneous mineral chemistry analyzed within igneous and sedimentary rocks to assess magmatic processes that could have formed them. Most Curiosity data are used to explore ancient environmental conditions, and a significant number of compositional analyses are under-explored for constraining magmatic activities. We will present how we can make use of sedimentary data for investigating igneous processes in the vicinity of Gale crater. Geological Context: We focus on the first 750 martian days, corresponding to measurements in a coherent lacustrine sedimentary unit called Bradbury, because all sedimentary rocks were sourced from the same watershed and appear to have a consistent source with minimal alteration [2-3]. Igneous detrital minerals including feldspar and pyroxene, are observed in sedimentary rocks. Monte Carlo models showed that minimal cation loss is observed based on the composition of all Bradbury rocks, implying negligible weathering [3]. Although clay minerals are detected in few rocks [7], chemical compositions of rocks can be explained by a mixture of primary igneous minerals [3]. Variation of composition within Bradbury rocks can be explained by mineral sorting and one distinct source component. While a common magmatic source is suggested, Bradbury sediments likely come from several volcanic eruptions from a single magmatic chamber [9- 10]. The occurrence of alkali minerals like sanidine and K-rich rocks throughout Bradbury supports the presence of a potassic component, likely trachytic, while plagioclase and a mafic composition suggest a basaltic component [8-9]. Instruments: Mineral chemistry can be estimated by three instruments onboard Curiosity. The CheMin instrument enables detection of mineral assemblages using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Using Rietveld refinement, each mineral is identified according to their 1D XRD pattern [11]. Note that distinction between pyroxene minerals is challenging with the CheMin instrument due to overlapping peaks on XRD patterns and low angular resolution of the instrument [12]. Then, using least square regression and optimization algorithms based on unit-cell parameters, mineral chemistry has been estimated by [11]. Plagioclase composition has been estimated using the NaAlSi3O8- CaAl2Si2O8 system and alkali feldspar is based on the NaAlSi3O8-KAlSi3O8 system (stars in Fig.1). Two mudstone samples (John Klein and Cumberland) and one sandstone sample (Windjana) were analyzed by CheMin at Yellowknife Bay and Kimberley, respectively. Figure 1. Ternary diagrams of feldspars (top) and pyroxene (bottom) quadrilateral. Stars correspond to CheMin composition and the gray patches to ChemCam composition. The colored dots are the composition of feldspar and pyroxene that crystallized during fractional crystallization at FMQ+1 of a melt extracted at distinct melting degree during the adiabatic ascent of a primitive mantle composition, without any water (left panels) and with 0.5 wt.% of water (right panels) at distinct pressure. The ChemCam instrument enables the analysis of the chemical compositions of rocks at hundreds of micrometer scale (350-550 μm) using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which may provide the composition of minerals when they are larger than the beam spot (>550 μm) [13]. Within >5000 LIBS points, we performed a typical stoichiometric filtering allowing us to distinguish 56 feldspar and 10 pyroxene mineral compositions (grey patches in Fig. 1). Finally, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) analyzes the composition of rocks with a 1.6 cm diameter spot size. Monte Carlo mass balance modeling allowed [3] to decipher a feldspar range varying between An30 and An40 (Fig. 1). Discussion: Although there could be a more complex history and other ways to form the whole compositional range of igneous minerals analyzed within the Bradbury formation, we are presenting here simple magmatic pathways commonly occurring on Earth using the thermodynamical softwares pMELTS and rhyoliteMELTS [14]. The objective is to find reasonable igneous processes that produce minerals that parallel the compositions of feldspar and pyroxene analyzed by the Curiosity rover. As commonly observed for mid-ocean ridge basalts, the adiabatic ascent of a primitive mantle composition [15] partially melting at 2 GPa has been modeled, followed by the extraction of a liquid at distinct degrees of partial melting, which undergoes fractional crystallization at an oxygen fugacity +1 log unit above the fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) buffer within the crust (0.02-0.4 GPa) with H2O = 0- 0.5 wt. %. These latter conditions correspond to those recorded within igneous clasts from the Noachian martian breccia NWA 7034 and paired and within Gale igneous rocks (colored dots in Fig. 1) [16-17]. To check the reliability of these 2-step models, we also tested fractional crystallization at similar conditions (FMQ+1; P=0.02-0.4 GPa; H2O = 0-0.5 wt. %) of starting compositions corresponding to that of magmas with distinct melting degrees obtained from isobaric experiments at 2 GPa [18]. Mineral compositions obtained from both models are similar. As shown on Fig. 1, the whole range of observed feldspar compositions cannot be reproduced by fractionation of one magma only. Indeed, while alkali feldspar and Na-plagioclase likely crystallized from fractional crystallization of a low-degree melt (here <15%), plagioclase and pyroxene can only be formed by fractional crystallization of a higher degree melt (here >19%). The corresponding liquid descent lines are broadly in agreement with compositions estimated by ChemCam corresponding to float igneous rocks (Fig. 2) [4-6]. Figure 2. Silica versus alkali content. Lines show the liquid lines of descent from magmas with distinct degrees of melting. Gray patches represents the composition of Gale igneous rocks [4-6]. Trachytic to rhyolitic magmas crystallize alkali feldspar, and andesite to dacite magmas likely form plagioclase. Therefore, at least two starting magmas at distinct melting degrees, which could easily come from a single mantle source, are necessary to explain the whole compositional range of feldspar and pyroxene analyzed within Bradbury rocks. Conclusion: Because rocks from the Bradbury formation are likely originating from the same magmatic source with minimal weathering as supported by several studies using different approaches, igneous mineral chemistry analyzed by CheMin and ChemCam allows us to back out reasonable magmatic pathways that could have crystallized them. Fractional crystallization of at least two starting magmas originating from distinct melting degrees of a single mantle source can explain the whole range of feldspar and pyroxene composition. Both alkaline and sub-alkaline liquids can be produced, with compositions corresponding to those of the igneous rocks analyzed by ChemCam within the Bradbury formation, highlighting the complexity of Mars magmatism.

Payre, V.↗

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks and Eolian Sediments in Gale Crater, Mars: A Review After Six Earth Years of Exploration with Curiosity

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover arrived at Mars in August 2012 with a primary goal of characterizing the habitability of ancient and modern environments. Curiosity was sent to Gale crater to study a sequence of ∼3.5 Ga old sedimentary rocks that, based on orbital visible and near- to short-wave infrared reflectance spectra, contain secondary minerals that suggest deposition and/or alteration in liquid water. The sedimentary sequence in the lower slopes of Mount Sharp in Gale crater preserves a dramatic shift on early Mars from a relatively warm and wet climate to a cold and dry climate, based on a transition from smectite-bearing strata to sulfate-bearing strata. The rover is equipped with instruments to examine the sedimentology and identify compositional changes in the stratigraphy. The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument is one of two internal laboratories on Curiosity and includes a transmission X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. CheMin measures loose sediment samples scooped from the surface and drilled rock powders, and the XRD provides quantitative mineralogy to a detection limit of ∼1 wt.% for crystalline phases. Curiosity has traversed>20 km since landing and has primarily been exploring an ancient lake environment fed by streams and groundwater. Of the 19 drilled rock samples analyzed by CheMin as of sol 2300 (January 2019), 15 are from fluvio-lacustrine deposits that comprise the Bradbury and Murray formations. Most of these samples were drilled from units that did not have a clear mineralogical signature from orbit. Results from CheMin demonstrate an astounding diversity in the mineralogy of these rocks that signifies geochemical variations in source rocks, transportation mechanisms, and depositional and diagenetic fluids. Most detrital igneous minerals are basaltic, but the discovery in a few samples of abundant silicate minerals that usually crystallize from evolved magmas on Earth remains enigmatic. Trioctahedral smectite and magnetite at the base of the section may have formed from low-salinity pore waters with a circumneutral pH in lake sediments. A transition to dioctahedral smectite, hematite, and Ca-sulfate going up section suggests a change to more saline and oxidative aqueous conditions in the lake waters themselves and/or in diagenetic fluids. Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries revealed by CheMin is the high abundance of X-ray amorphous materials (15–73 wt.%) in all samples drilled or scooped to date. CheMin has analyzed three modern eolian sands, which have helped constrain sediment transport and mineral segregation across the active Bagnold Dune Field. Ancient eolian sandstones drilled from the Stimson formation differ from modern eolian sands in that they contain abundant magnetite but no olivine, suggesting that diagenetic processes led to the alteration of olivine to release Fe(II) and precipitate magnetite. Fracture-associated halos in the Stimson and the Murray formations are evidence for complex aqueous processes long after the streams and lakes vanished from Gale crater. The sedimentology and composition of the rocks analyzed by Curiosity demonstrate that habitable environments persisted intermittently on the surface or in the subsurface of Gale crater for perhaps more than a billion years.

E.B. Rampe↗

Constraining Alteration Processes Along the Siccar Point Unconformity in Gale Crater: Results from the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument

A driving factor for sending the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity rover to Gale Crater was the orbital detection of clay minerals in the Glen Torridon (GT) region suggesting a past aqueous environment was habitable and could contain organic evidence of past microbiology. The objective of the Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)instrument was to detect organic evidence of past microbiology and volatile bearing mineralogy that would inform if past geochemical conditions would have supported microbiology in the GT region. The Siccar Point unconformity occurs between the underlying GT mudstone and the overlying Stimsons and stone of the Green heugh Pediment has evidence of enhanced alteration in the mudstone just below the contact suggestive of aqueous processes favorable for microbial activity. The origin of the altered material includes subaerial weathering, alteration from fluids moving along unconformity, upward fluid percolation from the mudstone or downward fluid percolation from the Pediment 1,2,3,4,5The objectives of this work were to 1) Utilize the S AM-EGA results to characterize the geochemistry and mineralogy above and below the Siccar Point unconformity through analysis of drilled samples in the3 GT mudstones and an overlying pediment sandstone. and 2) Utilize SAM-EGA results to constrain alteration scenario(s) below the unconformity.

B Sutter↗

Overview and Initial Results of DIGMARS: Digging Iceland Geology for Mars Analog Research Science

Preserved in the sedimentary rocks of Mars is a rich record of ancient surface environments and burial diagenesis. Sequences of sandstones and mudstones that indicate sedimentation in deltaic and lacustrine environments have been encountered by the Curiosity rover in Gale crater and likely will be by the Perseverance rover in Jezero crater [1-3]. The compositional variability in these sedimentary rocks points to a complex diagenetic story that bears significantly on the basin history and early martian environment. Because interaction of percolating groundwaters and with unconsolidated sediments is a process commonly observed in lacustrine environments on Earth [4], groundwater has been invoked to develop a sedimentary history for Gale crater [e.g., 5-9]. Unique conceptual models, each with their own implications for the paleoenvironment and hydrologic conditions have been put forward. However, we currently lack a terrestrial reference frame for groundwater-driven diagenesis in a basalt dominated watersheds on Earth. The Digging Iceland Geology for Mars Analog Research Science (DIGMARS) project aims to close this research gap, with the goal of exploring groundwater-sediment interaction from lakes around Iceland. Here, we present the initial results for the 2021 field campaign and the laboratory analysis of aqueous and sediment samples.

M T Thorpe↗

Zircon, Baddeleyite, and Reidite Found in Ries Crater Suevite

Introduction: Impact events can generate superheated impact melts and even vapor [1]. In the past decade, evidence of the high temperatures and high pressures of the impact process has been found in the impact melt from terrestrial craters (e.g., Mistastin Lake [2], Meteor Crater [3]) and even on the Moon [4–5]. Often, these studies involve zircon or zirconium-bearing phases. Zircon is a particularly useful mineral, due to its robustness and durability against weathering. It is used principally for chronology, but it has a multitude of geologic applications, including geothermometry and fingerprinting magma sources. Here we focus on its capability of recording impact conditions. Grains of zircon (ZrSiO4) are converted at high temperature and/or pressure during an impact event to reidite (a high-pressure polymorph of ZrSiO4) or to tetragonal-ZrO2 + SiO2 [6]. Reidite and tertragonal-ZrO2 leave identifying relicts in the rocks, markers of the high pressures and/or temperatures these rocks underwent. Ries Crater is a 26-km-diameter peak ring crater in southern Germany that formed approximately 15 Ma [7–9]. Ries is the type locality of the polymict impact breccia known as suevite. Here, we report a microanalytical study of suevite from the Ries impact structure. These analyses are used to inform our understanding of the pressure and temperature conditions involved in creating a polymict impact breccia such as suevite in a peak ring crater. Sample Description: The sample, denoted 16RS08, originates from Otting Quarry, at 48.8777° N, 10.7921° E, approximately 17 km from the center of the Ries Crater in Germany (approximately 4 km outside the crater rim). The material recorded in sample 16RS08 is therefore considered an outer suevite. The outer suevite is a discontinuous layer of polymict impact breccia that occurs outside the central ring of Ries, up to 22 km from the center of the crater [9]. Lithic clasts in the outer suevite consist primarily of crystalline basement rocks (gneiss, granite, amphibolite), with less than 5% of lithic clasts being overlying sedimentary rocks (limestone, sandstone, shale) [9]. The thin section studied contains variably shocked lithic and mineral clasts, impact glass, and interstitial minerals that make up the matrix of the breccia (Fig. 1) [9]. Methods: We used a Cameca SX100 electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) located in the Kuiper Materials Imaging and Characterization Facility (KMICF) at the University of Arizona to obtain 15 elemental X-ray maps of 16RS08. We next used the JEOL 7900F SEM at the Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science (ARES) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) to obtain electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) maps of select portions of the section. The EBSD data were collected under beam conditions of 20 kV, and ~9 μA, with step sizes varying from 0.05 to 2 μm. Following EBSD data collection, we processed the data using AZtecCrystal and MTEX, a free MATLAB toolbox. Results: We used the elemental X-ray maps to identify the areas of interest in the section, particularly phosphates and Zr-bearing grains. These areas of interest were then targeted for follow up EBSD and EDS analyses. We have identified, through combined EBSD and EDS analysis, the presence of zircon, reidite, and monoclinic-ZrO2 (baddeleyite) in 16RS08. In 16RS08, we have found singular grains of zircon, zircon with a vermicular baddeleyite halo (Fig. 2a), and granular zircon with reidite (Fig. 2b). The different Zr-rich phases and their corresponding textures signifies that this sample underwent a broad spectrum of pressure and temperature conditions during the impact event. For example, zircons surrounded by a vermicular baddeleyite and SiO2 intergrowth (i.e., Fig. 2a) have been shown to preserve evidence of the extremely high temperatures of impact melt, upwards of 2370 °C [2, 6]. Similarly, reidite and granular zircon (i.e., Fig. 2b) have been shown to preserve evidence of high pressure, as the transition to reidite occurs >30 GPa [3, 6]. Future Work: Next, we will process the EBSD and EDS data for these Zr-rich grains, specifically looking for indicators of cubic- or tetragonal-ZrO2 in the baddeleyite remnants and of shock-precursors to the reidite. To further inform our work, we will also obtain BSE images of these grains using a Hitachi S-4800 SEM in KMICF at the University of Arizona, as well as geochemical spot analyses via EPMA. The data collected will be used to constrain the formation conditions of the Ries Crater outer suevite. Acknowledgments: We thank Ken Domanik and Jerry Chang for their support with data collection. This work was supported by a University of Arizona RII Core Facilities Pilot Program grant and start-up funds to JJB. TME thanks A. Cavosie and N. Timms for assistance during field sampling. We acknowledge support from NASA’s Planetary Science Research program for analysis performed at JSC. References: [1] Melosh H. J. (1989) Oxf. U. Press. [2] Timms et al. (2017) EPSL 477, 52–58. [3] Cavosie et al. (2016) Geology 44:9, 703–706. [4] White et al. (2020) Nature Astr. 4, 974–978. [5] Crow C. A. et al. (2017) GCA 202, 264–284. [6] Timms et al. (2017) Earth-Sci. Rev. 165, 185–202. [7] Schmieder M. et al. (2018) GCA 220, 146–157. [8] Schwarz W. H. et al. (2020) M&PS 55:2, 312–325. [9] Stöffler et al. (2013) M&PS 43:4, 515–589.

Zircon↗

Effects of Basalt Composition on a Martian Analogue Magma-Sediment Hydrothermal System Studied Through Thermochemical Modeling

High-temperature hydrothermal systems have been identified on Mars associated with both hypervelocity impacts and magmatic activity on Mars’s early history [1, 2]. These processes may have produced habitable environments by providing heat, energy, and volatile species necessary to support microbial life [3, 4]. Hydrothermal systems formed after the intrusion of mafic magmas in sedimentary rocks are of particular interest when investigating the habitability of high-temperature aqueous environments on Mars [5, 6],because during magma-sediment contact metamorphism bond fluids (e.g. in ice, pore spaces, minerals) are mobilized favoring the alteration of the country rocks and the release of bio-essential elements [7, 8]. The chemistry and mineralogy of these systems on Mars are not well constrained and, for this reason, terrestrial analogues need to be investigated. Costello et al. [5] and Crandall et al. [6] have studied a mafic dike intruding the Jurassic Entrada sandstone (Colorado Plateau, UT). The intrusion has produced a hydrothermal system with Cl-CO2 rich fluids and near-neutral pH, which induced chemical and mineralogical changes in the dike and in the sediments [5, 6]. The system reached temperatures higher than 700 °C around the contact zone [6], but lower temperatures (< 200 °C) were reached as the system cooled down [5] making the environment potentially habitable [6]. However, previous studies do not consider compositional differences between the terrestrial dike and basaltic rocks on Mars [9, 10] making difficult a direct comparison between alteration mineralogy and brine chemistry of terrestrial and martian systems. Here, we use thermochemical modelling to investigate how differences in bulk dike composition will affect secondary mineral assemblages and fluid chemistry.

S Cogliati↗

Impact Experiments into Granular Targets Containing Solitary Blocks of Varying Strength and Size

Crater scaling relationships provide a means to correlate dimensions of laboratory-scale impact experiments to naturally formed craters at planetary scales. For relatively larger impact events, where gravity is the dominant arresting force against crater growth, these scaling relations are comparatively simple. For smaller craters, however, the target properties have increasing influence over the cratering process. Further complexities are easily envisaged when considering realistic surfaces that contain small-scale heterogeneities in cohesive strength, density, porosity, friction, as these properties will each have unequal effects on the resultant crater morphometry. Even when produced under controlled laboratory conditions, understanding (and controlling) the entire relevant parameter space is daunting, and deconvolution of the relevant contributors can be complicated even in the best-case scenario. To this end, we have begun an extensive series of impact experiments that will provide a nascent framework that will aid in the interpretation of craters observed on complex natural surfaces throughout the solar system. To start with the simplest configuration, experiments were performed with cylindrical PVC buckets that were filled with quartz sand and contained a single cubic block of synthetic sandstone. The blocks varied in size (14-33 mm) and unconfined compressive strength (0.5-7.4 MPa) and were placed in/on the sand along the trajectory of the incoming impactor and buried to different depths. All experiments were conducted using the vertical gun located in the Experimental Impact Lab at NASA Johnson Space Center with alumina projectiles that were accelerated to ~1.53 km s^-1 under a vacuum of 1 torr. After the impact, target containers were removed from the chamber are morphometric data were extracted by using a Peel 2 3D-scanner in combination with the open-source software, CloudCompare. Initial results show that block strength is a secondary effect on crater diameter and depth, but when at least one edge of the block is exposed and the surface (partial burial) the strength will dictate the number of surviving block fragments around the crater, as well as how much disrupted block material is retained within the crater walls.

Christopher J. Cline II↗

Provenance of Sediments in the Jezero Delta From Perseverance Rover and Orbital Observations.

The Perseverance rover is exploring an ancient delta in Jezero crater to search for potential biosignatures and collect samples for return to Earth by Mars Sample Return [1]. Understanding the source (provenance) of the sediments and how it changes in the delta stratigraphy will be important for developing hypotheses for the origin and transport history of potential biosignatures, will help constrain the evolution of the delta and watershed through time, and will enable us to identify the origin of detrital grains from outside Jezero in sandstones and conglomerate samples collected by Perseverance. In this study, we constrain the provenance of delta sediments by studying the distribution of primary mafic minerals detected using spectroscopy at rover and orbital scales.

B Horgan↗

Simulating Mars: Enabling Testing of the Perseverance Rover Sampling and Caching Subsystem on Earth

The development of the Sampling and Caching Subsystem (SCS) on the JPL Perseverance Rover lies at the intersection of testing, robotics, and geology. The SCS team established three primary system test campaigns and venues to aid in the development of SCS through verification and validation testing – Qualification Model Dirty Testing (QMDT) to provide a venue for testing in a Martian environment, Vehicle System Testbed (VSTB) for testing while integrated with the mobility subsystem on Martian-like terrain, and the Flight Software Testbed (FSWTB) for conducting tests using the flight motor controllers and software system on a hexapod which had the ability to simulate rover tilt. Each venue contributed a vital piece to the SCS building blocks. However, the QMDT venue operating within a 10-ft diameter Thermal Vacuum chamber to simulate Martian environment provided a sui generis opportunity to fine tune the entire sampling and caching process while building the team’s knowledge base about rock drillability, system life, and target selection. On Earth, because Martian rocks are not readily available, the development team must utilize geoanalogs to the rocks and regolith on Mars. Geologists on the team helped establish a set of standard rock types to use for Mars missions, like Basalt, Sandstone, Mudstone, Gypsum, and other related geoanalogs. These geoanalogs are characterized with a standard suite of tests for density, compressibility, and other characteristics to categorize potential drillability. This concept of drillability is what links the geoanalogs on Earth to the samples we collect on Mars. With the simulant characteristics defined, these geoanalog rocks are ready to be drilled into as we do on the Martian surface. A key aspect of interacting with the surface on Mars is rock target identification and selection. The Perseverance robotic system uses the on-board cameras, instrumentation, and software to collect enough information to identify potential scientific targets. With the targets identified, SCS can place the Corer and abrade the surface or collect a sample. For a ground test activity like QMDT, the test team did not have all of the camera and instrumentation systems that the rover does, so the team developed ground test equivalents to process a rock, build a target map, and define the target. The team constructed a Rock Scanning Station to build a 3D point cloud of the rock. This point cloud was then processed and evaluated with predefined and programmed criteria in a Target Downselect Tool. A primary output of the Target Downselect Tool is a defined target that can be uploaded directly to the robotic software system to simulate and build the robotic sequences used in tests. With these insights and programmatic definition of targets, the QMDT test team was able to make the same decisions that the Perseverance surface operations team does. In addition, valuable lessons learned from developing the target selection ground tools and using them were implemented into the tools used for surface operations.

Kim, Junggon↗

Habitability Potential of Martian Hydrothermal Systems Constrained from Exploration of a Magma-Sediment Hydrothermal System in the Colorado Plateau

Mars has a crust predominately composed of basalt, which displays wide-spread processes including volcanic hydrothermal systems and reference within. There is an abundance of evidence of previous low temperature hydrous alteration; however, finding evidence of high-temperature hydrothermal activity has been challenging. Therefore, we are investigating a mafic dike and the surrounding metamorphic contact zone to constrain how to find such systems on Mars and their habitability potential on Earth and by extension Mars. DC Dike (DCD) is in the Colorado Plateau, in south-central Utah, and intruded the Entrada formation Sandstone between 3.8 and 4.6 Ma. We chose Mars analog instrumentation to make our results directly applicable to those on Mars: Visible-Near Infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). 21 samples were analyzed with an Ore Express VNIR with wavelengths from 350-2500 nm. Bulk mineralogy is determined by using a Panalytical XRD including for clay fraction and soil separation analysis. Finally, samples are prepped as thin sections and will be analyzed using a SEM. All these techniques will be used to constrain: the mineralogy of the system, how the hydrothermal system cooled, the habitability of the cooling system, and how DCD relates to similar dikes in the area and on Mars. All of these results will then be compared to similar systems Mars, and if they too could have been habitable environments.

R. A. Slank↗

Magma-Sediment Hydrothermal Systems on Mars Explored Through Thermochemical Modeling and Analogue Studies

High temperature impact-generated and magmatic hydrothermal systems on Noachian Mars may have produced habitable environments by providing heat, energy, and volatiles necessary to support microbial life. Magmatic hydrothermal systems formed when mafic magma intruded into sedimentary rocks are of primary interest when investigating the habitability of high-temperature aqueous environments on Mars because contact metamorphism favors the alteration of the country rocks and the release of bound fluids in minerals and fluids in ice and pore spaces, and mobilization of bio-essential elements. Magma-sediment hydrothermal systems on Mars are difficult to identify from orbit and only limited in-situ investigations have been performed. Thus, terrestrial analogues need to be investigated. Recent studies focused on a magmatic hydrothermal system characterized by near-neutral Cl-S-CO 2 -rich fluids produced by a mafic dike intruding the Jurassic Entrada sandstone (Colorado Plateau, UT). Chemical and mineralogical changes identified in the dike and in the sediments were attributed to high-temperature metamorphism (> 700 °C), and low-temperature regimes (< 200 °C) when the system cooled down, and became potentially habitable [6]. However, compositional differences exist between the terrestrial dike and basaltic rocks on Mars, making difficult a comparison between secondary minerals and fluid chemistries of terrestrial and Martian systems. Here, we use thermochemical modelling to explore how differences in bulk dike composition will affect reaction pathways, secondary mineralogy, fluid chemistry, and bio-essential element availability.

S Cogliati↗

Detectability of Magma-Sediment Alteration Mineralogy Via Multi-Instrument Analysis: Implications for Terrestrial Analogs and the Search for Potentially Habitable Environments on Mars

The detection of magmatically driven hydrothermal systems on Mars has met with limited success. Remote sensing efforts have detected limited exposures, though they are usually isolated occurrences, and do not necessarily represent an in-situ alteration sequence. Some of the best evidence for such a system comes from Mars Exploration Rover Spirit’s investigations of Gusev Crater. Diverse alteration minerals were investigated, including possible detections of amorphous silica and montmorillonite. The question remains whether remote sensing/spectroscopy alone is capable of detecting such an alteration front, or if more detailed in-situ analyses are required. In order to constrain this, we have used Mars relevant instrumentation to investigate a terrestrial analog on the Colorado Plateau where a mafic dike intrudes the Jurassic Curtis Sandstone.

J R Crandall↗

Biosignature Preservation Potential of Sulfate-Rich Rocks From Hogwallow Flats, Jezero Crater, Mars

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover discovered fine grained sedimentary rocks in the Hogwallow Flats member of the Shenandoah Formation at the ~3.6- to 3.8-billion-year-old Jezero crater, Mars. Mudstones and sandstones at the 3-meter-thick Hogwallow Flats (HWF) outcrop, and a laterally equivalent outcrop known as “Yori Pass”, show extensive evidence of diagenesis (alteration after deposition). Enhanced preservation of organic matter and other biosignatures can occur in early diagenetic environments associated with aqueous alteration in a lake, floodplain or pro-deltaic setting, as envisaged for HWF and Yori Pass [1]. Three drilled rock cores were collected from HWF-type bedrock as part of the Mars Sample Return Program. They are considered to be the samples with the highest potential to preserve organic compounds and biosignatures out of all samples collected so far by Perseverance (as of mission Sol 1000) [2]. This work outlines the implications of diagenesis for biosignature preservation in rock samples for possible return to Earth.

Mars 2020↗

Depositional History of the Upper Sequence of the Western Fan: Evidence for Late-Stage Fluvial and Potential Igneous Activity, Jezero Crater, Mars

Within Jezero crater, a 45 km diameter Noachian-aged crater on Mars, the Upper Fan group (UFg) stratigraphy records the youngest interval of sediment deposition via aqueous activity on the western fan. From orbital images, the UFg surface is characterized by ridges interpreted to be associated with channels that can be group based on orientation into distinct elongate and fan-shaped deposits. UFg deposits primarily consist of a sandstone to granule conglomerate facies covered by a lithified boulder conglomerate or dense accumulations of loose boulders along the surface. The coarse-grained nature of UFg deposits and the unconformable contact with the underlying fan stratigraphy suggest that the UFg represents a higher-energy shift from the relatively longer-lived, lower-energy aqueous systems interpreted in underlying fan stratigraphy. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover encountered the main exposures of the UFg deposits beginning on Sol 755 and has been continuously collecting data along its northwestward traverse across the fan, enabling reconciliation of orbitally-derived geomorphology with in-situ observations from the rover and Ingenuity helicopter. This work represents a combined assessment of the geomorphology and the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the UFg in order to establish its depositional and emplacement history. Determining the origins of the Upper Fan sequence will clarify how, when, and in what order aqueous environments evolved through time within Jezero crater (e.g. crater infill, overflow, breach, and lake level drop;). Finally, this work will provide critical context for the three rock samples within the UFg sample suite.

Mars 2020↗